Chuck Lorre, the creator, had been after me a couple times to do various shows, but for one reason or another, we never got around to it. When he came to me in January for his annual turndown, I told him I’d do “Big Bang” if it was a recurring character that comes back a couple times and that it’s all in front of a live audience. That’s the only way I know how to do it. Laugh tracks turn me off. The acting is better when you know your material is being judged.

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For my part, I'm not even fond of the live studio audience laughter either. I mean, if you can wonder "is this a laugh track or isn't it?" then whatever's so terrible about one must still apply some to the other. My favorite sitcoms are almost always those which add no laughter at all.

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former owner of a Series 2 Tivo, lifetime subscription, 233 hours, now sold

I love how Bob spoke about people playing themselves, and having to memorize lines and hit marks.

Yeah, that touches on the point I tried to make in the BBT thread where this came up...if "playing yourself" were so easy, then you wouldn't have all these examples of celebrities playing themselves in a stiff, awkward way.

Acting is acting, even if you've only mastered one character (which a lot of actors do, but if they play that character well, why not?).

For my part, I'm not even fond of the live studio audience laughter either. I mean, if you can wonder "is this a laugh track or isn't it?" then whatever's so terrible about one must still apply some to the other. My favorite sitcoms are almost always those which add no laughter at all.

I was just watching a clip from the final episode of Newhart (thanks to the link you provided in the BB Finale thread) and the live audience there is completely over the top and distracting. I rarely notice it on BBT.

For my part, I'm not even fond of the live studio audience laughter either. I mean, if you can wonder "is this a laugh track or isn't it?" then whatever's so terrible about one must still apply some to the other. My favorite sitcoms are almost always those which add no laughter at all.

That is the best thing about animated humor like The Simpsons. No laugh track. I wish ALL sitcoms had no studio audience or laugh tracks. I find that the 'laughter' contrived as it happens even when there is nothing funny said or done. If it isn't needed for the Simpsons, why is needed for BBT? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laugh_track

I was at the Two and a Half Men recording yesterday. There were 7 pre-recorded scenes showed on the audience screens. I heard laughter on the sound track besides our audience laughter. Did those laughs come from the crew or a test audience during recording, were they added digitally, or did I just hallucinate?

They probably sweetened the scenes (i.e. used a temporary laugh track). Here’s why: when a studio audience reacts to a live performance the actors hold for the laughs. That way the audience doesn’t miss the next few lines. In pre-shooting scenes you have to build in those pauses in anticipation of laughs. So the temporary laugh track fills in those holes.

Also, pre-shot scenes don’t get the same level of laughter as live performances. They just don't. The temp laugh track can help prompt the audience a little.

On shows I’ve directed or produced I will sometimes pre-shoot a scene and instead of showing that, have the actors do a dummy version live on the stage. Example: a scene of two people in a car driving. Instead of showing the pre-shot scene I’ll just have the two actors sit in two card chairs and play the scene live. I don’t film it. Just record the audience. We then take the actual laughter and lay it in the pre-shot scene. I know. Sneaky, aren't we?